Congress won't seek changes in budget to save government

In a major decision to ensure that the minority United Front government did not collapse during the passage of the Union budget, the Congress on Tuesday announced that it will not move amendments to the finance bill or introduce cut motions on demand for grants of ministries.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of senior leaders of the party presided over by party president Sitaram Kesri.

Explaining the ratioinale behind Congress decision, working committee member Pranab Mukerjee told media persons that the party would not like to embarrass the government on the floor of the house. It apprehended that if it passed cut motions, parties like the BJP might extend support, leading to the fall of the government.

Mukerjee said the Congress would support only the official amendment moved by the finance minister. He said party leaders would meet the prime minister on May 5 to discuss the Congress standpoint on the budget and examine the possibility of incorporating this in the budget. He said reduction in import duty and increase in excise duty on certain items would seriously affect the indigenous industry.

Asked to comment on the amendments mooted by the Left parties, Mukherjee said his party would back only official amendments. ''In any case, we do not want to compete with the Left on this issue,'' he said.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party said it will move about 40 amendments to the finance bills during the debate on the general budget in Parliament.

Former party president Murli Manohar Joshi told media persons that the party was against imposing excise duties on products of small scale industries. It was also against imposing service tax on small caterers. He said the government proposed to levy excise duty on products like potato chips and tomato sauce. This would adversely affect the small scale sector.

He said the BJP would press for strengthening of income tax system. He said other amendments would relate to reductiion in excise and custom duties on bulk drugs. The money recovered through the voluntary disclosure scheme should be utilised for projects related to health, education and infrastructure sector, he said.

With the BJP deciding to press for the resignation of Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav, against whom the CBI will file a chargesheet in the fodder scam, the budget session which will resume on Wednesday promises to be stormy.

The session has been conveyed to pass the railway budget and the finance bill for the current financial year. Before the two houses of Parliament were adjourned on March 21, the United Front government headed by H D Deve Gowda was allowed vote on account for two months till May 30. The budget proposals were to be passed when Parliament resumed on April 21 after a month's recess.

During the recess, as per the original schedule, the standing committees of various ministries and departments were to scrutinise the railway and the general budgets.

According to official sources, ''the budgets would be re-presented'' because of the change in government.

Parliament will first take up the railway budget for debate and then the general budget, according to the schedule.

The railway budget will be represented by Railway Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, who held the same portfolio in the Deve Gowda government. No major changes were expected in the railway budget since the revised passenger fares and tariffs became effective from April 1. Some major amendments to the Union budget and the finance bill were expected following a representation made by the Left parties to the prime minister. The Left wants the government to review the proposed customs duties and concessions to the corporate sector and the affluent sections of society.

The Left parties are also of the view that Yadav and others accused in the fodder scam should step down. Leaders of four Left parties on Tuesay met Prime Minister I K Gujral and called for amending the finance bill to stop disinvestment in profitable and core public sector units and privatisation of the insurance pension fund as proposed in the budget for 1997-98. In a memorandum to the prime minister, the leaders of the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the All India Forward Bloc and the Revolutionary Socialist Party, said dereservation of production in the small scale sector should be stopped and the highest rate of income tax over an income of Rs 3,50,000 should be 40 per cent and not reduced as proposed in the budget.

UNI